[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15876-15877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-6977]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
Announcement of Public Meeting to Discuss Potential Standards or 
Guidelines for Respiratory Protective Devices Used to Protect Emergency 
Response Workers Against Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Agents

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Department of 
Health and Human Services (DHHS).

ACTION: Notice of a public stakeholder meeting to discuss the Agencies' 
current understanding of threats in responding to chemical, biological, 
and radiological incidents, user needs, and potential standards or 
guidelines for respiratory protective devices suitable for use by first 
responders.

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DATES: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 17, 2001; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 18, 2001.
    Location: Building E4810, U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical 
Command, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Edgewood Area, Aberdeen 
Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424.
    This meeting is hosted by NIOSH, the National Institute for 
Standards and Technology (NIST), and the U.S. Army Soldier and 
Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM).
    The meeting will be open to the public, limited only by the space 
available.
    The meeting room accommodates approximately 220 people.
    Requests to make presentations at the public meeting should be 
mailed to the NIOSH Docket Officer, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, M/S 
C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone 513/533-
8450, fax 513/533-8230, or e-mailed to [email protected] on or 
before April 6, 2001. All requests to present should contain the name, 
address, and telephone number, relevant business affiliations of the 
presenter, a brief summary of the presentation, and the approximate 
time requested for the presentation. Oral

[[Page 15877]]

presentations should be limited to 15 minutes.
    The purpose of the meeting is to obtain comments from individuals 
regarding potential chemical and biological respiratory protection 
standards and guidelines that NIOSH is developing in collaboration with 
SBCCOM and NIST.
    After reviewing the requests for presentations, NIOSH will notify 
each presenter by mail or telephone of the approximate time that his or 
her oral presentation is scheduled to begin. If a participant is not 
present when his or her presentation is scheduled to begin, the 
remaining participants will be heard in order. At the conclusion of the 
meeting, an attempt will be made to allow presentations by any 
scheduled participants who missed their assigned times. Attendees who 
wish to speak but did not submit a request for the opportunity to make 
presentations may be given this opportunity at the conclusion of the 
meeting, at the discretion of the presiding officer.

SUMMARY: The Agencies will provide information to attendees concerning 
the progress of their collaborative efforts and their current 
understanding of chemical, biological, and radiological respiratory 
protection issues including threats or hazards, and the developmental 
status of chemical and biological standards and guidelines. 
Participants will be given an opportunity to ask questions of Agencies' 
representatives, and to present individual comments that they wish to 
have considered.

Background

    Due to the recognition that terrorism is a national domestic 
security issue, municipal, state, and national guard responder groups, 
particularly those in locations considered potential targets, have been 
developing response and consequence management plans. The federal 
Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability 
(IAB) has worked to identify personal protective equipment that is 
already available on the market for responders' use. The IAB has 
identified the development of standards or guidelines for respiratory 
protection equipment as a top priority. NIOSH, NIST, National Fire 
Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding defining 
each agency or organization's role in developing, establishing and 
enforcing standards or guidelines for responders' respiratory 
protective devices. NIST has initiated Interagency Agreements with 
NIOSH and SBCCOM to aid in the development of appropriate respiratory 
protection standards or guidelines. NIOSH has the lead in developing 
standards or guidelines to test, evaluate and approve respirators.

Specific Discussion and Comment Topics

    NIOSH, SBCCOM, and NIST are holding this meeting to present their 
progress in assessing respiratory protection needs of responders to 
chemical, biological, and radiological incidents. The Agencies will 
present their methods or models for developing hazard and exposure 
estimates, and their status in evaluating test methods and performance 
standards that may be applicable as future chemical and biological 
respirator standards or guidelines. Participants are invited to provide 
their individual comments on these topics and to identify additional 
information that will help in developing respiratory standards and 
guidelines.
    The Agencies have evaluated threat and vulnerability assessments 
and other associated documents to gain understanding of probable 
terrorism agents including chemical warfare agents, biological warfare 
agents, and toxic industrial materials. A summary of the findings will 
be presented at the meeting for discussion and comment by the 
attendees.
    There are multiple classes of respirators having various 
operational parameters. The Agencies are currently aware that the 
domestic preparedness community is purchasing self-contained breathing 
apparatus (SCBA), and full facepiece powered and non-powered air-
purifying respirators to equip response teams for which there are no 
NIOSH chemical/biological respirator approval standards. NIOSH and 
SBCCOM are in the process of developing chemical and biological 
respiratory protection standards and guidelines, and will present 
pertinent information for each class of respirator. The Agencies will 
discuss potential tests and test parameters being considered for each 
respirator class.
    For SCBA, the parameters are system and component agent permeation 
testing and laboratory protection level testing. For air-purifying 
respirators, the same parameters are being considered plus challenge 
concentrations, breakthrough and end-point concentrations, breathing 
flow rates, hot and cold temperature function, human wear factors, 
assessment of current respirator technologies, etc. The status of NIOSH 
and SBCCOM in these efforts will be presented at the meeting. 
Participants are invited to provide individual comment on these and 
other performance, quality, or operational parameters that should be 
considered.
    Comments on the topics presented in this notice should be mailed to 
the NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, M/S C34, 4676 
Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone 513-533-8450, fax 
513/533-8230. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail to: 
[email protected]. E-mail attachments should be formatted as 
WordPerfect 6/7/8/9, or Microsoft Word. Comments should be submitted to 
NIOSH no later than May 31, 2001, and should reference docket number, 
NIOSH-002, in the subject heading.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John M. Dower or Ray Wells, NIOSH, 
1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505-2888, telephone 
304/285-5907, fax 304/285-6030 and/or Email: [email protected]. or Mr. 
Wayne Davis, Product Director for Respiratory Protection, Project 
Manager for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Systems, SBCCOM, 
5183 Blackhawk Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424, ATTN: 
AMSSB-PM-RNN-P/ Mr. Wayne Davis, telephone 410 436-1776, fax 410 436-
4185 and/or [email protected].
    The Director, Management Analysis and Services office has been 
delegated the authority to sign Federal Register notices pertaining to 
announcements of meetings and other committee management activities for 
both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for 
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

    Dated: March 15, 2001.
John Burckhardt,
Acting Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 01-6977 Filed 3-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P